Most of us find ourselves with a bunch of content we’d like to read but little time to do it. When I finally do get time on my hands I don’t always know where I bookmarked that article I saw on my Twitter or a friend’s… or that video that stood out to me on my co-worker’s wall. Some people might already have a good system in place to stay on top of their reading, but I needed a hand.
Let’s face it, staying up-to-date on what’s going on in the worlds of technology, business, and startups is the only way to survive in this market (let alone a startup social event). It tends to be a priority for most of us, but one that usually gets left by the wayside when other more pressing matters get dropped onto our desktops.
Staying Competitive Means Keeping Current
Because keeping up with new ideas and news events gives you a competitive edge, this week’s life hack makes staying on top of this content crazy easy. Now seriously long flights and bathroom breaks will never be the same. Pocket is an app that can be used on an internet browser, iPad, smartphone (both Android and iOS), and Kobo e-readers.
Pocket lets users bookmark content and videos they come across throughout the day and makes it easy to read or watch later on any one of your many devices. Yes, reading something interesting (slash potentially important) that you found while on the elevator heading into the office later that night in bed is great. But the thing that makes this baby stand out (in my opinion) is that having an active internet connection isn’t necessary.
I’ve found that the times that I am able to catch up on reading also happen to be times when I can’t hack into an internet connection. It was kind of a chicken or the egg problem in the sense that I had time to read because I couldn’t email or connect, but couldn’t read because I couldn’t connect to my “read later” bookmark tab on my browser.
Downtime Made Productive
Finding yourself in a waiting room or an airport without a connection used to feel like time wasted. Pocket lets me take back this time by giving me a central space where all of the content that stood out to me is organized and easy to find.
Once you put something in your “pocket” it will get synced with your other devices automatically. The layout is clean and nice to look at, but most importantly, easy to navigate. It’s crazy how quickly you will start associating their layout and typeface with catching up on your reading. The other stellar part is that you can “pocket” from just about anywhere. Users can put content into their pocket right from their desktop, email, or from over 500 apps (like Twitter and Zite).
Wherever you get your content, you will finally get the chance to read it with a little help from this app. I used to be amazed by the amount of reading my friends and colleagues seemed to squeeze in, now I feel like I can keep pace with the savvier peeps and get to use my downtime more efficiently. Check out Pocket now at GetPocket.com.
